Facies analysis and biostratigraphy of the Auradu Limestone Formation in the Berbera-Sheik area, northwestern Somalia

The main stratigraphic and sedimentological features of the Auradu Limestone Formation in NW Somalia, close to its type area, are outlined. The present study of the depositional and diagenetic characteristics, associated with the investigation of the fossil assemblages and their biostratigraphy and paleoecology, allows to focus on some significant features useful for a better definition of the paleoenvironmental setting and the stratigraphic evolution of the formation in its westernmost outcrop area. Biostratigraphic evidence gathered from the larger foraminiferal assemblages allows a correlation of the lower Paleogene faunal associations of Somalia with the existing peri-Mediterranean biozonations, thus extending their validity to the Horn of Africa, with implications for the dating of neighbouring formations of the Arabic peninsula.